Word processing systems have now become an indispensable tool in virtually every office setting. Such word processing systems allow a user to efficiently create and revise documents of all types such as personal letters, legal contracts, corporate by-laws, etc.
Many of these word processing systems support the storage of frequently used documents which may be individually accessed and completed with data tailored to a particular user. Likewise, many word processing systems permit a user to complete a common form letter with data relating to numerous different individuals, as evidenced by the multitude of personalized "junk" mail which is received by nearly everyone on a daily basis. The merge option in presently available word processing systems permit such standard form letters to be generated.
While presently available word processing systems include a document merging capability, the merging capability is limited. For example, the word processing system, WordPerfect, in addition to its standard word processing document creation and revision features, allows a user to merge documents through the use of a primary and secondary merge file. In this regard, in WordPerfect, through the use of a "secondary" merge file, a series of form documents can be generated using personalized data relating to a series of individuals stored in a "primary" merge file. However, in WordPerfect, if a different type of form document needs to be created, a new secondary merge file must be independently created and supplied with data.
In many commercial settings, there is a need for a series of unique documents or files to be prepared and assembled for a single individual, partnership, or corporation. Presently available word processing systems require each such document to be independently prepared. Moreover, present word processing systems are devoid of any mechanism for aiding a user in efficiently assembling and managing multiple documents, even those which are frequently used.
The present invention permits a user to integrate numerous substantially unrelated documents (or files) while supplying such documents with required variable field information. The present invention permits these documents to be prepared and assembled with optimum efficiency and with minimum errors.
For example, a lawyer may be required to prepare a set of distinct documents all relating to a common party or parties, e.g., an employment agreement, an employee confidentiality and invention agreement, a non-compete agreement, and a cover letter for an employee of a particular corporation. In the present invention, each of the documents is stored as a form document having standard "boilerplate" language and variable field information which must be tailored to a particular user.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a user is only required to enter common variable information once for each of the documents selected from a library of documents. Upon entering, for example, his name, address, and other information only once, such information is printed on each of the employment agreement, employee confidentiality and invention agreement, the non-compete agreement as well as a cover letter and envelopes addressed to the new employee.
The present invention is an interactive, menu-driven system which uses prompt windows in which, for example, documents are selected and entry formats are presented to prompt a user to enter common variable information relating to numerous documents. The documents are stored in a library which is organized into a series of volumes. For example, one volume may be dedicated solely to legal documents.
Each volume is broken down further into a series of chapters where, for example, one chapter in the legal volume may relate to commercial law matters, another chapter may relate to real property related matters. Each chapter, in turn, may store a series of specific documents falling within the body of law to which the chapter is directed.
Each of the documents includes a series of field names that are required to have data inserted therein to complete the document. Each of these stored documents may be revised, edited, and manipulated in accordance with a conventional word processing system which is resident in the system. For example, in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention to be described in detail below, each of the stored documents or files may be edited using the commercially available WordPerfect word processing system.